Sometimes it's just like that. There are those days when your best just doesn't seem good enough. When it rains it pours kind of days. They strike you out of the blue. It's the complete randomness that makes it so potent. A sale or two may be canceled. Your vehicle breaks down. You forgot your significant others birthday...or worse your anniversary. Yikes.
Still got to get through the day though.
This morning I had a dream about my dear mom who departed this world a few years ago. So real it was. Made me miss her a great deal and that pretty much set the tone for how my morning was going to go. And then I found out that a few sales I made last week weren't going to pan out. Great huh?
But...
That's okay. Nobody but a prozac patient is happy all the time. It's okay to own the negative feelings that we all have. I recognized them and eventually made my way through them. I tuned into a few good videos that I found on the IQ Morning Report...I don't always have the luxury to tune in to the IQ Morning Report in the morning! It's a great pick me up any time of the day actually. That began to turn my day around. See I get that just because I start my day off crappy doesn't mean I have to end my day in a crappy manner. And that's my message for the day. Short and sweet. Like my wife. Who always makes me happy.
Until next time...
#YouMatterTremendously
#GoldenRuleLifeStrategy
Today's video: Here's a fella who gets it. What a powerful life philosophy he adheres to.
"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."...Calvin Coolidge "Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success."...Napoleon Hill Persistence succeeds where nothing else can. I'll swear by this statement. We all have seen it time and time again. That little boy who was average at best when they began a sport...but who persisted until they were a force to be reckoned with. The little girl who was told she would never be good enough at singing who went on to become a platinum selling artist. The business person or inventor who was told their vision was "crazy" or unobtainable who summarily discounted those opinions to achieve enormous success. We're all very familiar with these types of stories. I read a great meme the other day. It said: "Tired of starting over? Quit giving up." Man...how true is that? I know there are at least 500,000 things that I could have mastered had I stayed with them. Okay maybe 10...but you get the point. And we all know this beyond a shadow of a doubt. All of us have at some time or another persisted in something till we got what we wanted or achieved a goal. And the payoff that comes with doing such is incredible. The emotional payoff is what I'm talking about here. There's very little that compares to the feeling of taking on something that others say you can't or won't achieve...and then achieving it. It's like BAM!Perhaps we all need to remember those victories when we are encountered by the obstacles and setbacks that too often derail us. It's important to stay motivated. Things go wrong. Mistakes are going to be made. We just can't let these things crush our souls. Every mistake IS truly a stepping stone for another opportunity. There is, undoubtedly, a lesson...a takeaway from every experience we go through in life. Some of the strongest and wisest people I've ever known or encountered went through unbelievable adversity. Some of their stories were heart wrenching. The types of things you couldn't image experiencing. But they came through demonstrating remarkable resiliency and persistence. Persistence. That's what it takes to achieve anything worthwhile. Here's the formula: Persistence + Persistence + Persistence + Persistence + Persistence + Persistence + Persistence + Persistence + Persistence + Persistence = SUCCESS! Until next time: #YouMatterTremendously #GoldenRuleLifeStrategy Here's today's video:
Happy Independence Day! It's All About Your Freedom.
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."...Abraham Lincoln
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."...Ronald Reagan
Sometimes I think about my little time and space. My life as it is in the grand scheme of things. And without fail I come away happy and proud to be an American. Especially on the Fourth of July. I had a sociologist professor once...Dr. Krebs...who said that there are over 2,000 ways to be human. I always remembered that. It's so profound. So many different ways to go about the business of being human on planet Earth!
I'm pretty sure most people feel about their country exactly as I do about the United States. It's just in us to identify with great passion and affection the country and culture we grow up and reside in. I'm also sure that there are millions upon millions of people who started out in another country and culture, who eventually made their way to the United States, and fell in love with our way of life. Most have never returned to their original homeland again. Not after experiencing American freedom and prosperity.
We welcome everybody here. It's easy to understand the appeal of the United States. It's all about FREEDOM. There is nowhere on Earth that so many people have traveled to in order to escape the suffocating pressure of oppressive and often punitive governments, stagnant economies, and restricted personal liberties.
We are a nation born from a revolution that desired a level of freedom never previously experienced. Our growth and world standing developed from a shared national and cultural identity that says: "It's okay to be who you are...as long as who you are embraces and elevates our way of life." You are free to express yourself completely, in every manner of doing so. You are free to sound off on our government without having to worry about being thrown in prison or being killed. You are free to worship the religion of your choice. You are free to live a lifestyle that many may not understand...or even agree with...but at least you are free to do so. So many who have traveled here came from places where these freedoms that I just described, and which we enjoy on a daily basis, would result in a swift death sentence.
It's easy to enjoy these freedoms. But as we all know...freedom isn't free. Our country has had many internal convulsions to figure out what is in our best interest. We endured a Civil War. We saved the free world in World War 2. We've played the world police when other nations stood by idly at gross injustices performed by rogue and tyrannical governments. We have advanced civil rights. We advocate worldwide human rights. We demonstrate our compassion by extending relief and aid by the hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Our military personel sacrifice their lives and limbs to ensure our way of life and to help others who would be victimized and bullied by their very own people and governments.
True freedom is hard to come by. It's not easy to be in our position. We are opposed and criticized at every turn. There are now...more than ever...segments within our population who would love to see our way of life to crumble and be replaced with something different...anarchists abound. Be careful what you wish for is what I always think. Too many short sighted people. We have done an unbelievably great job keeping such a diverse population content to the extent that it is. I have a hard time imagining a society of our size being able to do it any better.
The convulsions will continue. But so will the American way of life. We will work out our issues. Everyone has to be all in on this. Our national identity needs to be adhered to. I would be leery of straying too far away from the ideas and philosophies that have led to the great minds and contributors that we have produced.
God Bless the U.S.A. and HAPPY 4th of JULY!!!
Until next time...
#YouMatterTremendously
#GoldenRuleLifeStrategy
Here's today's video: An amazing story of how our National Anthem came about.
"The jealous are troublesome to others, but a torment to themselves."...William Penn
Haters gonna hate. You hear this expression all the time. And I guess when you hear something all the time there's a certain degree of truth to it. It does seem that people who are jealous like to rain on other peoples parades quite a bit nowadays. The most puzzling thing about it all is that it's quite unnecessary. It makes no sense to be jealous. It's destructive and very self defeating to being the best version of yourself possible.
We should take great effort to avoid being jealous or worse, resentful of other peoples good fortune. It's toxic thinking. It robs us of having an appreciation of all the things that we are in possession of and who we are. And it in no way furthers your ability to improve in any area of your life.
Most of the people who enjoy a good amount of success in life have had to earn it. Sure there are many people who were possibly born into more favorable circumstances. Perhaps their parents, or grandparents, or great grandparents...you get the picture...were the originators of the lifestyle they enjoy, but should we really hold that against them?
People get where they are, and have what they have in life because they adhere to a certain life philosophy. If your life philosophy is dominated by thinking things through and making good decisions, developing sound plans and then taking action to see those plans become reality. you can enjoy the rewards that are available to you in this world. But fair warning! Hard work, persistence, sacrifice, character, working well with other people...all these things will play a role in exactly how successful you can ultimately become.
The greatest thing we can do...instead of being jealous of other people...is learn from them. Try to emulate what they are doing, or have done, to allow them to enjoy the lifestyle we desire. We all can learn so much from other people...and I truly believe that most people who enjoy a large degree of success also like to pay it forward. There is a lot of satisfaction to be gained by them knowing that they had something to do with another persons success. Ask questions. Approach people. Be bold but not obnoxious and I think you would be surprised how many people would carve some time out of their schedule to lend someone a hand.
Avoid jealousy at all costs. Learn how to celebrate other people's victories and good fortune. It says so much about a person who is able to do so. Jealousy robs you of being secure in who you are. It diminishes your self esteem and self worth. Your better than that. You have enormous value.
Until next time...
#YouMatterTremendously
#GoldenRuleLifeStrategy
Here's another great video. It's a pretty in depth look at jealousy.
"Learn from the past, but don't live there. Build on what you know so that you don't repeat mistakes. Resolve to learn something new everyday. Because every 24 hours you have the opportunity to have the best day of (your) company's life....Harvey Mackay
Last Sunday was Father's Day and I made a post about how it was somewhat special as I live in the Greater Cleveland area and the Cleveland Cavaliers were playing for an NBA Championship. It was Game 7 between the CAVS and the Golden State Warriors and against all odds the CAVS, led by the incredible LeBron James and the young superstar Kyrie Irving, pulled off the upset and won the Championship! Let me tell you it was an amazing feeling to have a Championship team finally arrive in Cleveland! The parade that occurred a few days later in downtown Cleveland was spectacular, with an estimated 1.3 million people flooding the area to express their gratitude to the team.
This series between the CAVS and the Warriors can serve to illustrate a few important life lessons. The CAVS were down in the series 3-1 and pretty much all of the experts expected the Golden State Warriors to close out the series. After all...no team in NBA history had come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the championship.
The CAVS can be symbolic of you! Perhaps things have been tough for you for an extended period of time. Perhaps much longer than you expected. You may have sustained bruises to your ego and your self confidence may have suffered a bit. Life can be way more grueling than any sporting event can be. It can be merciless at times.
The key to surviving it all is to "keep on keeping on." Sustain the belief in yourself that you can overcome any obstacle given enough time. You just have to get through it all. Along the way if you're doing the right things; keeping a good attitude, working hard at whatever you're doing, helping others as much as you can despite your own hardships and/or limitations, then life will surely take notice. Life will introduce you to people who will help you if you allow them to. Opportunities will present them to you if you are open to them...looking for them. They may not be the opportunities or people that you were expecting. That matters little. What matters is your ability to persevere and your ability...your resolve...to see yourself through whatever it is life throws at you.
On any given day things can change for you. A conversation. A Help Wanted ad. An idea. A chance encounter. A friendship developed. A relationship blossomed. So many different things. Any given day holds the potential for the pendulum of good fortune to swing in your favor. The best day of your life could be today. Or tomorrow. Or the day after that. That is one of the most beautiful things about life.
Until next time...
#YouMatterTremendously
#GoldenRuleLifeStrategy
Here's this week's video: It's awesome. The Butterfly Effect.
"Fathers Day is hopefully a time when the culture says, 'This is our moment to look at who our men and boys are.'"...Michael Gurian
Today is Sunday June 19th, 2016. It's Father's Day, and it's also the day that Game 7 of the NBA Finals will be played between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. Game 7 of course means that it's for all the marbles. A championship is at stake, and here in Cleveland where we haven't had a major sports championship since the Cleveland Browns won a football championship in 1964, it's a big deal. This Father's Day is something special.
Father's Day is always a day of mixed emotions for me. My dad had a lot of issues stemming from his military service, and we never got along. I'm sure he loved me, but never knew how to express it, and that was tough on me growing up. To be honest with you it's still tough on me...but more so now because I am now a father of two boys myself. That provides me with the other side of the coin. I'm very close with my sons in all regards. We have a very different father and son dynamic that what I shared with my father. I am very thankful for that.
It's tough being a father at times. You have to constantly walk a fine line between being a disciplinarian and a friend. Trying to set an example for your children requires you to wear many hats. The hat of the husband is worn when you are teaching your sons how to treat their future girlfriends and wife...by how you treat your wife...while teaching your daughters how their future boyfriends and husband should treat them. The hat of the coach is worn when teaching your children how to compete...how to give something their very best and be gracious in victory and how to handle the disappointment when they come up short. The hat of a judge is worn when you ultimately have to make tough decisions and hand out consequences so your children learn valuable life lessons that they can hopefully take with them when they are young adults.
That being said I wouldn't have it any other way. Nick & Kevin I love you guys more than words can express. It's an honor to be your father. You guys are my biggest source of pride. Watching you guys develop into fine young men is my greatest accomplishment, and that's my biggest take away from the whole dad experience. I hope when it's all said and done that you know that I tried my very best and that there's nothing I wouldn't have done for you.
Now how great would it be to cap off this Father's Day by watching the greatest basketball player in the world, LeBron James, deliver a NBA Championship here to Cleveland while I watched and rooted him on with my sons?
Happy Father's Day to everybody out there! GO CAVS!!!
"Be willing to be uncomfortable. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. It may get tough, but it's a small price to pay for living a dream."...Peter McWilliams
True growth is NEVER comfortable. It's the situations and experiences that challenge us the most that make us stronger and prepare us for the future challenges that await us. If you are to become the very best version of yourself possible you are going to have to get comfortable being uncomfortable.
It's from dealing and coping with our problems and our unique challenges that we learn how to dig deep within ourselves, find out what type of energy we are really ready to commit, that allows us to face adversity or a new challenge, that the growth comes from.
This isn't the easiest thing in the world to understand or to do. And sometimes we may have to go through the same ordeal over and over again until we finally learn the life lesson that we are supposed to. This may not happen on our timetable. But when we do finally reach that breakthrough moment we come out of it with real growth. We're stronger, smarter, and better for it.
It's a process that we just have to trust in. It's easy to remain in our comfort zones and avoid the hard work and pain that's going to be required out of us to overcome a new challenge. And sometimes when we're not "up to it" we'll defend our decision not to put forth the effort by rationalizing and making excuses. Not good. It's avoidance. And we all know it deep down inside. We can fool a lot of people...but we can never really fool ourselves.
There's always so much more room to grow in all areas of our lives. What sense does it make to remain comfortable when we're not realizing our God given potential? I believe strongle that if we're too comfortable, we're usually being too complacent. It's where stagnation breeds. It will manifest itself in some...if not all...areas of our lives...whether it be our personal or professional lives.
We only get one shot at this remarkable thing called life. Let's get the most out of it...even if that requires us being a little uncomfortable. Let's meet new people and try new things. Open our minds up to some new possibilities. And whenever we encounter a struggle of some type...understand that there's a certain degree of growth that we'll benefit by overcoming it.
Until next time...which may be a week from now! I wanted to continue posting three times per week, but I have a new opportunity in my professional life that I am trying to make the most of. With that being the case I will update this blog once a week, unless time allows me to post more frequently. For the time being.
Here's this week's video: Harlan's honesty is pretty amusing too!
